Imagine being a woman in India. Chances are, you’d be poor and illiterate. You would likely eat your meals only after the men and boys in the home had finished theirs—if any food remained. Your parents would treat you as a liability and forgo your education and medical care. If you displeased your husband, he would feel justified in beating you. And if you were widowed, society would call you cursed.

Thankfully, the Church is helping to change this attitude toward women. Through local churches, women in India learn that God values them. They come to realize that they have a divine purpose and many gifts to share. The local church also gives them opportunities to become literate and trained in a valuable job skill, helping to lift them out of poverty.

To this end, Wings of Love is sponsoring the construction of Thiruvilwamala Church for an established Christian congregation in India. The congregation lives near a famous Hindu pilgrimage site, where hundreds of Hindus seek forgiveness for their sins by crawling through a tunnel. For the last 12 years, these impoverished believers have been meeting together in a shed on borrowed property. A permanent church building will allow them to share the Gospel and minister to the women in their midst.

“God has blessed [me and my wife] with girls, who are very helpful in my ministry,” says Pastor Saji. “From 2007 onwards, I minister in this village, which is a Hindu pilgrim center. Day by day, God is blessing this church. We had to face so many persecutions in this area. Many times, we were in life-threatening situations. But God always protected us and kept us under His wings. We are badly in need of a church building.”

Your gift will help this congregation to have that building. Even better: Your gift toward this project is matched dollar for dollar!

Thank you for helping these women to soar on Wings of Love.

If you have questions, please contact Cheryl Simmons at csimmons@icm.org or 757-735-5525, or Trina Olson Keeny at sonrise241@gmail.com or 757-748-1599.